Metinvest, the largest Ukrainian mining and metallurgical holding, in January-June this year increased crude steel production by 10% compared to the same period last year, to 4.358 million tonnes, cast iron – by 8%, to 4.405 million tonnes, but reduced total coke production by 0.2%, to 2.368 million tonnes.
According to a press release of parent company Metinvest B.V. on the results of operation in H1 2021 published on Wednesday, In 2Q 2021, Metinvest’s hot metal output climbed by 5% q-o-q to 2.254 million tonnes. This was driven by growth in Azovstal’s production of 107,000 tonnes following brief maintenance and repair work on blast furnaces in March because of the planned overhaul of basic oxygen furnace (BOF) No. 1 that month.
In 2Q 2021, the Group’s crude steel output rose by 5% q-o-q to 2.229 million tonnes because of an increase in Azovstal’s volumes of 130,000 tonnes amid greater hot metal production at the plant. Meanwhile, Illich Steel’s output decreased by 30,000 tonnes because of the scheduled overhaul of BOF no. 3 in May.
In H1 2021 hot metal and steel output grew thanks to an increase in production at the two Mariupol-based works.
In 2Q 2021, the Group’s output of merchant semi-finished products dropped by 10% q-o-q to 687,000 tonnes. Merchant slab production fell by 91,000 tonnes because of the allocation of slabs to make more flat products. Meanwhile, pig iron output edged up by 13,000 tonnes.
In 1H 2021, Metinvest’s production of merchant semi-finished products decreased by 4% y-o-y to 1.452 million tonnes. Merchant slab production declined by 131,000 tonnes because of the redistribution of slabs to flat product rolling. Pig iron production rose by 66,000 tonnes, mainly because of an increase in hot metal output.
In 2Q 2021, the Group’s output of finished products climbed by 9% q-o-q to 1.819 million tonnes.
In 1H 2021, Metinvest’s production of finished products surged by 22% y-o-y to 3.481 million tonnes.
In 2Q 2021, the Group’s coke output totalled 1.198 million tonnes, up 2% q-o-q, mainly because of an increase in production at Avdiivka Coke following the overhaul of coke oven battery No. 6 in the beginning of this year. In 1H 2021, coke output remained flat y-o-y at 2.368 million tonnes. The effect of the consolidation of production volumes of Dnipro Coke since April 2020 (124,000 tonnes) was almost completely offset by decreases in production at Avdiivka Coke of 81,000 tonnes and Azovstal of 46,000 tonnes.
Ukrainian Liudmyla Luzan won a bronze medal in the single canoe competition at the Tokyo Olympics, finishing third in the final at a distance of 200 meters.
As the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine said on Facebook, the result of Luzan in the final is 47.034.
The athlete confidently passed the semifinals of the Olympics with the best result among her rivals of 47.339, but in the final she lost to the representatives of the United States (45.932) and Canada (46.786).
Now, Ukraine has one gold medal, two silver and nine bronze medals.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved the energy security strategy, which was developed on the basis of the national security strategy approved by decree No. 392 of President Volodymyr Zelensky dated September 14, 2020.
Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko said during a presentation of the document at a government session on Wednesday that the strategy identifies, in particular, 29 threats to energy security, the key of which are cyber threats, ongoing Russian aggression, wear of fixed assets, lack of energy reserves, the impact of climate change on the structure and energy consumption regimes, as well as issues of competition in the markets, staffing of the industry and development of scientific and technical potential.
“In accordance with this, three key scenarios have been identified, according to which the energy sector can develop, depending on the threats,” the minister said.
These are “no change,” “unfriendly influence” and “positive transformation” scenarios.
The “no change” scenario envisages, in particular, the preservation of the current trends in the formation and implementation of energy policy, as well as the principles of the functioning of energy markets.
The second scenario “unfriendly influence” is envisaged in the event of an increase in the external influence of Russia in order to gain control over the energy policy of Ukraine.
The third scenario “positive transformation” is aimed at the priority development of the country in terms of the irreversibility of its European and Euro-Atlantic course.
Haluschenko said the main goals of the strategy are, in particular, the availability of energy resources for consumers, the sustainability of the energy sector and its economic efficiency, the environmentally acceptable impact of energy on the environment, as well as the integration of the sector into the EU space.
The Energy Ministry of kraine intends to carry out annual monitoring of threats to the country’s energy security.
ENERGY, ENERGY SECURITY, ENERGY SECURITY STRATEGY, PRESIDENT ZELENSKY
The sales of new trucks weighing over 3.5 tonnes in January-July this year increased by 72.6% compared to the same period in 2020, to 2,746 units, according to AUTO-Consulting.
According to information on its website, 521 trucks were sold in July, which is 30.9% more than in the same month last year.
“Road construction continues to be the market driver. Dump trucks are bought like “hotcakes,” and it was the supply of equipment for road workers in July that changed the balance of power in the market,” analysts say.
Leadership in July 2021, as in the previous year, was retained by Belarusian-based MAZ with a market share of 15% and the sale of 78 vehicles (five more than in July 2020).
German-based MAN, which came in second with a margin of three vehicles, became the leader in the heavy-duty truck segment at the same time.
Scania maintained its third position, adding 30% in sales, to 70 vehicles and taking 13.4% of the market, and in the heavy segment it ranked second.
“In July, these three manufacturers managed to break away from competitors in terms of supplies and each sold more than 70 units of equipment,” the experts state.
The fourth was Ford Trucks with 55 vehicles sold and an increase of 72%, and Volvo ranked fifth in July (compared to the ninth place a year earlier) with the largest growth of 2.7 times, to 38 units.
A year earlier, the third and fourth lines of the July rating were occupied by Renault and Mercedes-Benz (in July this year – the eighth and sixth lines of the rating, respectively).
The revenue of Metinvest B.V. (the Netherlands), the parent company of Metinvest mining and metallurgical group, in May this year increased by 0.9%, or $ 14 million, compared to the previous month, to $ 1.569 billion from $ 1.555 billion.
According to the unaudited consolidated monthly results of the company’s financial statements, total EBITDA in May was $ 752 million, which is $ 102 million, or 15.7%, more than in April ($ 650 million). At the same time, EBITDA from participation in the joint venture amounted to $ 147 million (in April – $ 101 million).
According to the report, the adjusted EBITDA of the metallurgical division of the group for May 2021 amounted to “plus” $ 367 million, including $ 46 million from participation in the joint venture; EBITDA of the mining division – $ 460 million, including from the joint venture – $ 101 million. The management company spent $ 5 million.
Total revenue in May consisted of $ 1.244 billion of the metallurgical division and $ 583 million of the mining division. Intragroup sales were $ 258 million.
The total debt of Metinvest in May decreased by $ 247 million compared to April, to $ 2.925 billion from $ 3.172 billion. At the same time, the volume of funds increased by $ 35 million, to $ 1.239 billion from $ 1.204 billion.
Funds used in investment activities amounted to $ 43 million, in financial activities – $ 251 million.
In May, the group sold 1.474 million tonnes of iron ore for $ 308 million, 59,000 tonnes of coal concentrate for $ 8 million.
The main shareholders of Metinvest are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%), which jointly manage it.
Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest Group.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s approval rating stands at 29.3%, while 56.1% of Ukrainians disapprove of his activity, according to a nationwide poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology between July 24 and August 1.
The sociologists noted a decline in the president’s approval rating, as 34.1% respondents approved of his activity and 52.7% said the opposite in June 2021.
Meanwhile, 43.2% of Ukrainians support an early presidential election, and 46% do not.
The respondents are more inclined to support early parliamentary elections, with 48.7% in favor and 38.3% against, the pollster said.
The institute interviewed 2,028 respondents older than 18 in 105 populated localities in all regions of Ukraine controlled by Kyiv.
